Is Kibbe Body Type Test Worth Doing?

Kibbe body typing

Many of us think of body types in terms of the standard method, which considers our hip, waist, and bust dimensions.

These are designed to be used to determine one of five different body types and then provide us with wardrobe suggestions depending on those body types.

But where does that leave the rest of our bodies? What about our features on the face? What about things like our broad cheekbones or chin?

Or our stature? Or how big our heads are in comparison to the rest of our bodies?

All of these factors combine to make us who we are, and traditional body type approaches can be somewhat limited.

Kibbe Method

The Kibbe Method is something that I find quite fascinating.

In this article, I’d want to share it with you.

I’ll explain what it is, how you can use it to figure out who you are in this manner, and how it can assist you in getting dressed.

And perhaps recognizing the aspects of your clothes that you enjoy and those that you despise.

So let’s get started.

All of us, according to stylist David Kibbe, are a mix of yin, or feminine and soft characteristics, and yang, or masculine and sharp traits.

After determining how much of each of these we have, we are assigned to one of five basic body types and 13 subtypes.

Kibbe believed in five distinct body types, ranging from all yin to all yang.

5 Main Body Types

According to Kibbe Method, these are five main types:

  • dramatic
  • natural
  • classic
  • gamine
  • romantic

Then these five types can flow into one type before it and then into another type just after it. This gives us a total of 13 subtypes.

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13 Subtypes

13 subtypes are:

  1. dramatic
  2. soft dramatic
  3. flamboyant natural
  4. natural
  5. soft natural
  6. dramatic classic
  7. classic
  8. soft classic
  9. flamboyant gamine
  10. gamine
  11. soft gamine
  12. theatrical romantic
  13. romantic

So, take the quiz to find out which personality type you are. I took it a few times because it’s a little confusing at first.

Then look up some of the people that have certain body types.

There are celebrities who are labeled as soft romantics, classics, and so on.

Identifying which of those proportions seem the most like yours might be quite beneficial when retaking the test.

Is Kibbe Body Type Test Worth It?

How It Can Help

So, when I look in the mirror, I have a slightly rounded face with high cheekbones and not a lot of drama.

I also have slightly rounded shoulders, am not very tall, and am not particularly petite. I’m petite, and I think I’m a soft classic based on these and the other features in the quiz.

And when I see myself in very structured pieces, this becomes even more apparent. I still wear them because I like them.

I wear clothes that aren’t designed for my body type, which explains why I gravitate toward items with slightly billowy sleeves or no neck, and why I feel so comfortable in them.

This type method is one of my favorites because it virtually gives you the tools you need to figure out why you’ve always been attracted to something and why you haven’t been pulled to anything else.

It aids in providing some justification.

This quiz might help you figure out why you don’t like how you appear in a structured white button down.

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So, why is this knowledge useful, and how can it help you improve your own style and gain a better understanding of your preferences?

It has restrictions and isn’t perfect, just like everything designed to standardize our bodies and sort of fit us into boxes.

It shouldn’t be used to justify what you should and shouldn’t wear, in my opinion.

This is not intended to be a set of rules that you must follow.

That is a mentality with which I entirely disagree.

I believe that you should always wear what you want, when you want it, and that you should always attempt to discover pieces that make you feel beautiful and wear them even if you’re the only one who likes them.

I believe that a tool like this can be useful in discovering commonalities between things you enjoy and pieces you don’t.

I know that after taking the test a few times to really attempt to figure out what was appropriate and what wasn’t, I started to see that the majority of the items that I’ve been attracted to over the years are all quite close to what’s advised for my body type.

That isn’t to say that I don’t have pieces that aren’t suggested; I certainly have, but I find myself gravitating toward those that seem right for me.

They just work, and I enjoy using them, and they can save you a lot of time.

If you’ve been a little bit lost in wardrobe selection, maybe you’re trying to find your own personal distinctive wardrobe essentials and you keep going down the wrong path because you’re obeying suggestions from someone you respect and like but they’re so different from you, I think this can be a very helpful test.

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This could be beneficial.

I also enjoy how this system seems to promote our individuality and body types rather than giving us tools to hide our flaws in order to make us all appear to be the same body type.

It definitely emphasizes the differences, which I appreciate. That’s what makes personal style so enjoyable: we’re all so different, and we should constantly bring our individuality to the dressing table, since that’s what personal style should be.

It should be a way for you to express yourself and truly stand out in a way that is uniquely you.

So disregard what others advise you to wear, what looks good on you, and what doesn’t, and instead seek for pieces that make you feel amazing.

That comes with a complete set of tools at our disposal, and this one, when utilized effectively, can help you achieve your goals.

13 Kibbe body types

Author

  • Gloria

    Gloria is a top-performing fashion designer with more than eight years of experience in developing fashion concepts.

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